Brisbane City Council releases new City Plan Amendments

Place Design Group is committed to keeping you informed of industry updates. Brisbane City Council (Council) have released several proposed citywide amendment packages for the Brisbane City Plan 2014 (City Plan), including:

• Major amendment package H – Restricting townhouses from single-home areas;
• Amendment package J – Increased car parking for suburban Multiple dwellings; and
• Major amendment package C which includes updates to service stations and industrial developments, air quality modelling, industry thresholds, streetscape hierarchy provisions, heritage and character, bushfire, and overlay mapping amendments.

These packages are now open for public consultation, with Council providing the industry with opportunities to have their say on the proposed amendments. To assist you in deciding whether or not you would like to lodge a submission regarding any of the amendment packages, Place Design Group have provided a summary below, outlining each of the packages and their key components.

Restricting townhouses from single-home areas –

This amendment package has been introduced in response to one of the key actions of Brisbane’s Future Blueprint’s principle for protecting the Brisbane backyard and our unique character.

In order to achieve this, the amendment package introduces new overall outcomes into zone, development, and neighbourhood plan codes that restrict the establishment of Multiple dwellings within the Low density residential zone, even where the site may be well-located and greater than 3,000m² in area. For example, where the Low density residential zone currently includes an overall outcome that states:

Development, other than a dwelling house, including Dual occupancy or a Multiple dwelling is not accommodated within this suburban setting unless on a well-located site of over 3,000m².

The proposed amendment states:

Development maintains a low density character in which Multiple dwellings are not accommodated.

These amendments are then to be reflected throughout the higher order Strategic Framework, with Council proposing to include requirements that residential development is consistent with the applicable zone or neighbourhood plan.

The proposed amendments protect the right for Multiple dwelling developments within the Character residential (infill housing) zone, the Low-medium density residential zone and the Emerging community zone. However, it should be noted that in accordance with proposed Major amendment package E, Council has undertaken a review of Emerging community zoned land and expects to rezone portions of this land to Low density residential.

To have your say on the proposed amendment package, click here to lodge an online submission or alternatively contact our office for assistance. Consultation is open until 5pm, Monday 26 August 2019.

Increased car parking for suburban Multiple dwellings 

In response to an action of Brisbane’s Future Blueprint, Council is proposing to increase the car parking requirements for Multiple dwellings in suburban settings. This has triggered several proposed amendments to the Transport, access, parking and servicing Planning Scheme Policy.

Council has proposed to remove the ability for reduced car parking for Multiple dwellings within 400m walking distance of a major public transport interchange as well as increasing the car parking rates where outside of the City Core or City Frame:

• From 1.25 to 2 spaces per 2-bedroom dwelling;
• From 1.5 to 2 spaces per 3-bedroom dwelling;
• From 1.5 to 2.5 spaces per 4 or more bedroom dwelling;
• From 0.15 spaces to 0.25 spaces per dwelling for visitor parking.

Single bedroom dwelling unit car parking requirements have not been altered from 1 space per dwelling.

To have your say on the proposed amendment package, click here to lodge an online submission or alternatively contact our office for assistance. Consultation is open until 5pm, Monday 26 August 2019.

Major Amendment Package C

The proposed amendments included within package C range from providing further provisions for specific uses such as service stations or industrial developments, to updates to the heritage overlay. The key amendments have been discussed further below.

Service stations and industrial developments –

• Additional provisions have been included within the overall outcomes of the centre zone codes requiring that a Service station or Car wash is carefully designed and sited to minimise any adverse impacts on the vibrancy of the centre and to ‘protect surrounding residential amenity, health and wellbeing.’
• Additional stormwater treatment criteria and spill management for fuel dispensing areas has been introduced into the Industry code.
• Additional built form provisions have been introduced into the Service station code requiring higher quality outcomes for visual amenity.

Bushfire overlay –

• Minor amendments to the wording of the overall outcomes allowing a development to demonstrate that there is not exposure to an unacceptable bushfire riskrather than a bushfire risk.
• Introduction of a new definition for development envelope plan from ‘a plan that shows the building envelope for a particular development’ to ‘a plan that defines the area within the development footprint that may be used for development proposed on a site, and which excludes the area of any bushfire management footprint plan.’

Character and heritage amendments –

• Provisions have been introduced into the Commercial character building overlay codes that will require an impact assessable application adjoining a commercial character building to consider the provisions included within the codes, even if there will not be a physical impact (i.e. demolition) to the commercial character building itself.
• Additional provisions have been introduced into the performance outcomes and acceptable outcomes of the Commercial character building (demolition) overlay code allowing buildings constructed after 1946 to incorporate features that resemble the style of the period in which the building was built.
• Introduction of additional or expanded local heritage places and properties throughout Brisbane.

To have your say on the proposed amendment package, click here to lodge an online submission or alternatively contact our office for assistance. Consultation is open until 5pm, Monday 9 September 2019.

If you believe that your land or development site may be impacted by the proposed amendment packages, or you would like to discuss any of the information provided above, please get in touch with the Brisbane Planning Team on (07) 3852 3922 or [email protected].